


Play for Keeps

by amsves



Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Don't copy to another site, Gambling, Gen, Guns, Hostage Situations, Hugs, Russian Roulette, Truth Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24101905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Arthur hadn’t meant for this to be how he finally confronted the interim king of the underground, Ace of Spades.“Nice of you to stop by today, hero. Let’s play a game of chess."
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by [this prompt](https://whumpster-dumpster.tumblr.com/post/615443438646820864/whumper-and-team-leader-play-a-game-of-chess-or) prompt from @whumpster-dumpster on Tumblr!
> 
> Chapter 1 includes the fill 'Truth Potion/Serum' for Bad Things Happen Bingo.

Arthur hadn’t meant for this to be how he finally confronted the interim king of the underground, Ace of Spades.

Lint had been quiet since her heist on AEGIS, likely planning her next move and becoming familiar with all the stuff she’d stolen. Her absence was tempting, and many minor crooks and criminals had been moving in to fill the space she’d left. Ace was one such criminal. He ran another secret casino akin to Romeo’s, because if there was one thing the wealthy loved it was gambling. Never mind that his games were all rigged in his favor. Also never mind that he hosted his games in the labyrinth of sewers and tunnels under The City, which was a pretty gross place to hang out.

Arthur and Tick had split up to look for Ace’s current location, and Arthur had stumbled into it. Before he could call Tick over to his location he’d been spotted. The fifteen regular patrons in the casino had instantly turned into hostages.

“Nice of you to stop by today, hero.” Ace of Spades walked casually up to Arthur, like he was greeting an old friend in the street. “You’re a gambling man, too, then? How about this? Let’s play a game of chess. For every piece of mine you capture, I’ll release one hostage. But, for every piece of yours you lose, you have to answer a question for me. And you can’t leave until the game is truly over, even if I’ve released all fifteen hostages.”

Arthur gulped. “And if I lose?”

“You’re not exactly in the position to be asking questions right now.” Ace drew out a chair at the nearest chess table and sank languidly into it. “Do we have a deal?”

_ “Take the deal, Arthur,”  _ Rathbone said over his helmet’s radio.  _ “AEGIS is triangulating your location now. Just take your time, and don’t mess up. We’ll be there soon.” _

Arthur took a deep breath, and lowered himself into the empty chair. “Fine. Let’s play.”

The criminal’s lips curved upward into a sinister smile. “Perfect. And go ahead and take off that helmet for me, hero. It’s rude to wear a hat indoors.”

Arthur had half a second after he removed his helmet to realize he’d walked right into a trap before he felt a sharp stinging in his neck. He whipped around and saw a henchman stepping back, a now-empty syringe in his hand. “What did you—“

“Don’t worry, hero. I didn’t poison you. It would be rather hard to play chess if you were dying, after all. I simply gave you some … incentive to be truthful. Tell me, are you  _ scared _ ?”

“Yes.” The words came from his lips unbidden. He hadn’t wanted to rise to the jab, hadn’t meant to say anything. “So it was a truth serum? That’s what you meant by incentive?”

“That’s certainly one of them. The other would be that there are fifteen lives on the line. Even if you could lie, I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.” Ace folded his hands on the table. “Enough talking. Let’s play, shall we? I’ll even let you go first.”

Arthur’s gloved hand trembled as he hovered over the pieces.  _ Okay. Rathbone said help is on the way. I just need to last until they get here. I can take my time between moves, chess isn’t exactly a quick game, but I shouldn’t wait too long or else he’ll get impatient, and I  _ _ really _ _ don’t want to make him mad. I just need to stay cool, and not make any dumb mistakes. _ He gripped the top of a pawn and moved it before he could spiral any further. “Pawn to E4.” 

The pace of the game was slow at first. Neither party wanted to make the first sacrifice or mistake, and so they played carefully. Out of the corners of his vision Arthur could still see Ace’s underlings shifting, watching the game and their prisoners with evenly-divided attention. The room, save for the sounds of the chess pieces on the board and a myriad of breaths, was silent. 

Other than the fact that they were in a literal sewer tunnel, with human lives on the line, the atmosphere wasn’t really all that different from the chess club at Arthur’s middle school. Back then, he had been pretty good.

But that was a long time ago. Arthur had at one point managed to beat some older members and even win a local chess competition, but he hadn’t played in years. He was rusty.

Ace was not. “Bishop captures the piece on E5.”

“Oh no,” Arthur couldn’t stop himself from saying.

“Oh yes.” Ace leaned back in his chair. “Now, let me see. What would I like to know? Hmm, how about … does AEGIS know where we are?”

“I don’t know,” Arthur answered truthfully. He knew they were trying their best, but Rathbone could have been lying to make him feel better. 

Ace looked displeased at that answer. “Well, are they trying to find out where we are?” 

Arthur just barely bit back the automatic  _ That’s what Rathbone said  _ that tried to escape. “That’s two questions.” 

For a long moment Ace just stared Arthur dead in the eyes, and Arthur steeled himself for whatever Ace would do next. 

But nothing bad happened. Ace merely huffed and replied, “You’re right. I’ll just have to capture another piece, then. But it’s your turn, Arthur. Go on.”

A few moves later, Ace did just that. “Is AEGIS trying to figure out where we are?”

This time, Arthur couldn’t stop himself from saying it. “That’s what Rathbone told me.”

Ace sneered. “Well, I suppose I’d better hurry up, then. Don’t want to waste this opportunity, right?”

Once again, Arthur managed to stop himself from responding, though every cell in his body wanted to respond.  _ So I guess when I do speak, I can’t lie, but he can’t actually make me speak in the first place. I can’t really use this too much to my advantage until AEGIS gets those hostages taken care of, but it is good to know, especially since I don’t know how long I’ll be like this. _

The game continued, and eventually Arthur found himself at a crossroads. Ace’s knight was vulnerable to attack by Arthur’s pawn. He could capture that piece right now, and free a hostage. But it was a trap. If Arthur took the knight, he saw three other ways Ace could capture his pawn right back. He would have to answer another question truthfully. Sure, so far they hadn’t been too bad, but he got the sense that Ace was just warming up. Was the trade worth it? 

Tick’s words from long ago flooded his mind, confirming for him that there was only one choice.  _ I chose love over fear then. I choose it every day I wake up and put on this moth suit. I have to choose it now. _ “Pawn captures the piece on F7.”

Ace sighed dramatically. “I suppose I expected this. “Three of Hearts, release the first hostage.”

“I’m sorry, why are we playing chess again, exactly?” Arthur asked suddenly. “I mean, your name is Ace of Spades, and all of your henchmen are named after playing cards. Shouldn’t we be playing poker or something?”

“Would you trade the hostage for an answer?” Ace returned pointedly. “It’s hardly fair to ask for both.”

“No, I’m fine not knowing, actually. Just curious.”

The game continued. Ace followed through on the trap he had laid. “Rook captures the piece on F7. Arthur, tell me how to get into the Heroes’ Lounge at the local AEGIS branch.”

“You have to be a registered hero or sidekick to get in. The door has a scanner on it and you have to show a valid hero I.D. to get it to open.”

“That’s it?” Ace responded. He sounded surprised. “No retina scanner? No fingerprint check? You just need an ID belonging to a registered hero or sidekick?” He chuckled. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen. No wonder Miss Lint stole so much that one time.”

It still stung to be reminded of that. 

A few moves later, Arthur freed another hostage. The relief on her face when she was released from her handcuffs made falling into yet another trap so much easier. 

“Rook captures the piece on A4. Arthur, where is your hero ID?”

_ AEGIS will be here soon. Just keep playing along _ . “In my wallet.”

“Is that so? Thank you for so kindly volunteering to let me into the Heroes’ Lounge, hero. Real nice of you.”

Arthur grit his teeth and tried to get his head back in the game. “Bishop to B3.”

A few more turns passed before Ace took another of Arthur’s pieces. “Where is your wallet?”

“In my suit pocket,” he answered resignedly.  _ I know where this is going _ .

Ace’s smile was entirely too sweet. “Why don’t you go ahead and hand that over?” he asked kindly. “For safe-keeping.” 

Arthur knew better than to protest. Slowly, he took his wallet from his pocket and placed it into his opponent’s outstretched hand. 

“Thank you, Arthur.” Ace didn’t have to look for the ID for long, since it was in the first card slot. “This will be quite helpful.” He studied the ID with a critical eye. “I’ll be honest, this is not a good picture of you. Would you agree?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda like the DMV where they don’t really care if you look terrible as long as they can tell it’s you,” Arthur rambled, words coming out before he could catch them. He cleared his throat. “Anyways. Knight captures the pawn on C6.”

Ace of Spades had captured five pieces. Arthur had only captured three. On paper, it looked like he was losing. But the object of the game wasn’t so much to win as to hold out for AEGIS backup. Arthur didn’t know what he would do if the game ended before then. He didn’t want to find out. 

Unfortunately, Ace seemed to be hitting his stride. He got three more answers out of Arthur before another hostage was released. 

Arthur made a mental note to tell Rathbone to change all the passwords and PIN codes around the building, and maybe to invest in higher security for the Heroes’ Lounge. Then, he took a moment to look at the state of the board. In just a few turns, he was down to half his pieces. He was missing both his bishops, both his knights, a rook, and three pawns. Ace had only lost three pawns and a knight.  _ I need to figure something out here, and fast. Otherwise I won’t last another ten minutes.  _ “Pawn to C2.”

“Getting nervous?” Ace teased. “Bet you thought your hero buddies would be here by now. I can see it in your eyes, you’re playing just to hold out until they save you. There’s no greater strategy there, no master plan, just blind hope that they’ll save you before I say--”

Ace moved his bishop to attack Arthur’s king.

“-- _ Checkmate _ .”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 includes the fill 'Russian Roulette' for Bad Things Happen Bingo.

“ _ Checkmate _ .” Ace of Spades’ words echoed through the otherwise deathly quiet sewer casino. Ace’s men instantly had their hands on their guns. Behind Arthur, a hostage sucked in a breath. Another rattled their handcuffs. 

Ace snapped his fingers, and one henchman approached the chess table. He took his revolver from his holster and placed it in Ace’s outstretched hand. 

“Fully loaded?” Ace asked.

“Yes, sir.”

Arthur barely had the time to cover his ears before Ace unloaded six shots into the floor. They bounced off the concrete harmlessly. Arthur had a feeling the seventh and final shot would not be so harmless. 

“You asked me before what would happen if you lost our game,” Ace began. “Well, we’ll simply have to play another one, won’t we? There are still eleven hostages in my possession, after all.” 

“And this new game is …” Arthur trailed off, unwilling to voice his thoughts on the  _ extremely slight  _ off chance that he was wrong. 

“You’ve heard of Russian Roulette?”

He was right. “I have.”

“The ultimate game,” Ace sighed, a fond, sadistic smile on his face. “I run a casino, as you know. Patrons come, they pay with their money, they play, they walk away. But not so with this game. You gamble not with your money with your very  _ life _ . For those for whom gambling  _ is  _ their life, it’s quite poetic, really.

“As for the rules,” he continued, snapping out of his reverie, “Every time you pull the trigger and survive the aftermath, I’ll release another hostage. So you only need to be lucky eleven times in a row. You can even spin the barrel between each pull, to maximize your chances.” 

Ace extended the revolver to Arthur. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Hands shaking, Arthur gingerly took the gun from Ace. He glanced frantically around the room, looking for a way out.  _ If I spin the revolver between each pull of the trigger, the average number of pulls before I’m toast is six. I need  _ _ double _ _ that to free everyone and still make it out myself, and that’s assuming Ace will just let me leave. I’ve gambled my life and been lucky before, with the VLM, but these odds are nothing in comparison.  _

Ace had his arms crossed impatiently. “Well? Get on with it, hero. Or don’t you want these innocent people to be saved?”

_ These guys all have guns, and I’ve only got one bullet besides. If I trained this thing on Ace I wouldn’t last long enough to pull the trigger the first time, and luck would have it that it wouldn’t fire anything anyway. So that’s not an option. I can’t run faster than bullets or dodge them like Dot can, so I’m pretty much trapped. I guess the only thing to do here really is _ \--

“Pull the trigger or I’ll start killing hostages,” Ace growled.

Arthur put the revolver to his head and pulled.

And breathed a sigh of relief. “One down.”

Ace nodded at one of his men, who uncuffed a hostage. Then he turned his attention back to Arthur. “Again.”

_ Let’s keep this luck going, shall we? _ Arthur pulled the trigger again, and again nothing happened. Ace released another hostage. 

Arthur felt practically feverish from stress, trembling from head to toe and with palms so sweaty he thought he might drop the revolver and shoot himself in the foot instead.  _ I’m really doing this. When I agreed to follow Destiny back then, I never thought I’d be playing Russian Roulette in the sewer. I’m bulletproof everywhere except my head, of course. That’s just my luck. But then again, it’s just my luck that I’ve survived twice now. Maybe we’ll all make it out of here alive? _

“Don’t test me!” Ace shouted suddenly, and placed his hand over Arthur’s on the revolver. Arthur pulled the trigger a third time. And lived.

And then he heard the familiar sound of Tick breaking through walls. 

Ace looked around wildly, trying to figure out what the source of that sound was. He didn’t quite manage it in time before Tick busted through the concrete and tackled him to the ground. “Evildoer! Your time is finished. Justice reigns supreme once again, aided by Destiny herself!”

Ace’s men started firing on Tick, but the bullets bounced off him like they were rubber. He laughed and kept them distracted while a team of AEGIS agents came in through the proper entrance to the sewer casino. By the time the henchmen emptied all their rounds into the Big Blue Yonder, the remaining hostages were being ushered out towards the surface.

With no more leverage to use against Arthur, Ace’s luck had run out. 

* * *

After handcuffing and transporting Ace of Spades and all of his card-themed henchmen back to AEGIS, Arthur reported to Rathbone’s office. He slumped into the chair opposite the Commander and sighed, “I’m pretty sure Ace still has my Hero I.D., sir.”

Rathbone responded by tossing the recovered I.D. at Arthur.

“Darn,” Arthur muttered under his breath. “I was hoping to retake that picture.”

Rathbone heard it anyway. “Doesn’t matter if you look good, son, just matters that we can tell who it is. Speaking of telling who it is, AEGIS will be investing in higher security for all lounges and labs. All it took was some truth serum and a moment of vulnerability to render all those passcodes with capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters useless.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, sir.”

“Don’t be. You were prioritizing the lives of innocents, which is what a hero should always do.  _ Never  _ apologize for doing your job.”

Arthur nodded and stood. “If it’s alright with you, sir, I’d like to go home a bit early today. The truth serum still hasn’t worn off, and it’s a bit inconvenient to deal with. I’ve already finished all the paperwork that has to be done today, and I’ll complete the rest tomorrow.”

“You look tired,” Rathbone observed. “Sure, take the afternoon off. Do you think the serum will be out of your system by tomorrow?”

“I honestly have no idea, sir.”

Rathbone  _ hmm _ -ed. “Well, give me a call first thing tomorrow if it’s not. Dismissed.”

Arthur nodded and grabbed Tick, and the duo headed home. 

Dinner consisted of potato chips and sandwiches (turkey and swiss for Arthur, mustard and ham and jelly for Tick). As Arthur loaded the dishwasher after they were done, Tick cleared his throat. “Arthur? Were you scared today?”

Tick’s voice was unusually subdued.  _ He must have been worried for me _ , Arthur thought.  _ He doesn’t like not being able to do things. _ Out loud, he responded, “Yeah. I really was.”

Tick barely let Arthur finish that sentence before crushing him in a big hug. “Oh, my precious balloon of hope! You almost popped today. But it was Destiny’s will that you did  _ not  _ pop, and you defeated another of Evil’s many hydra heads instead!”

Arthur elected not to tell Tick that cutting off a hydra head typically meant inviting two new ones to grow in its place. He also elected not to voice his opinions on being told he almost  _ popped _ . “Yeah. Destiny never lets us down, huh?”

“Never,” Tick agreed solemnly. “If we but place our hope in her, we will always triumph.” 

A comfortable silence fell over the pair for a moment, still hugging it out in the kitchen. Then, as they finally moved away, Tick spoke again. “Did you ever doubt that we would come save you?” 

Arthur hesitated, and Tick’s antennae drooped. “I knew it.”

“No, Tick--”

“We abandoned you.”

“It wasn’t like that--”

“We forced you into despair.”

“Tick, please listen to me!” Arthur shouted. Tick stopped talking and looked expectantly at Arthur. “I was scared, like I said. I was afraid I would die before you could find out where I was. I was  _ terrified _ I’d do the wrong thing and set Ace off and he’d start shooting those innocent people. But I never thought you guys  _ abandoned  _ me.” He took a deep breath. “There’s a difference there, okay? I was scared of all of those things happening, but I also knew that if I just did my best you and AEGIS would do the rest.”

Tick didn’t say anything in response, he just pulled Arthur back into another hug.

They stayed standing in the kitchen for a long time, long enough for the sun to finish setting and the warm orange glow that once bathed the kitchen to turn silvery from moonlight. Then they got ready for bed. 

Arthur’s last thought before his head hit the pillow was that he hoped he didn’t have to call out of work the next day. Then he was asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me and request bingo squares on [Tumblr!](http://www.therewillbebeauty.tumblr.com) I'm playing both Fluff Bingo and Bad Things Happen Bingo, so I can either torture or pamper your fave--or both!
> 
> Title is a line from the Rihanna song 'Russian Roulette'


End file.
